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115 F.

3d 136
118 Ed. Law Rep. 846

FDIC as Conservator for Crossland Federal Savings Bank,


Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE, Defendant-Appellant,
A R Construction, Inc., Westminster Construction, Inc.,
doing business as Westminster Construction, Co.,
Bernard Renzi, Philip B. Renzi, Attilia
Renzi and Philip Renzi, Defendants.
No. 327, Docket 96-6097.

United States Court of Appeals,


Second Circuit.
Argued Oct. 30, 1996.
Decided June 2, 1997.

Mailman & Gigante, New York City (Gary Mailman, of counsel), for
Defendant-Appellant.
Cullen & Dykman, Garden City, NY (Peter J. Mastaglio, of counsel), for
Plaintiff-Appellee.
Before: KEARSE, WALKER, and JACOBS, Circuit Judges.
JACOBS, Circuit Judge:

In 1987, Providence College (the "College" or "Providence") contracted with


two construction companies for a major asbestos abatement project on the
campus. The construction companies, both owned by the same family, were
evidently short of capital and took out a series of loans from Crossland Savings
Bank ("Crossland"). When the first loan was made in 1987, Crossland required
the companies' principal officer, Bernard Renzi, to obtain from the College a
written guaranty of the companies' loan obligation. Renzi presented the form to
his friend, Joseph Byron, the College's Vice President for Business Affairs,
who signed it. The guaranty recited that the College would cover all obligations

of the companies to the bank--including those incurred in the future--up to a


total of $621,000.
2

Crossland1 commenced this diversity action in the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of New York against the construction companies,
members of the Renzi family, and the College. The College defended on the
grounds that Vice President Byron lacked actual or apparent authority to
guarantee the loans on behalf of the College. Judge Nickerson held on
summary judgment that Byron lacked actual authority, but that there were
issues of fact remaining as to the apparent authority issue. Following a bench
trial, the court concluded that Byron had apparent authority to undertake the
obligation on the College's behalf and entered judgment against Providence in
the amount of $621,000.

This appeal concerns the judgment--premised solely on the Byron guaranty-against the College, the lone appellant. The only issue presented is whether the
district court erred in finding that Byron had apparent authority. For the reasons
set forth below, we reverse.

BACKGROUND
4

The Project and Financing. Providence College is a nonprofit corporation


which maintains and operates an educational institution in Providence, Rhode
Island. In 1987, the College undertook a major project to remove asbestos from
its buildings. Two companies that had performed various construction-related
work for Providence over many years--A R Construction, Inc. and Westminster
Construction, Inc. (the "construction companies" or the "Renzi companies")-were the low bidders, and were awarded the contract.

In order to finance the costly abatement project, the construction companies


sought and obtained a series of loans from Crossland.2 The loan proceeds were
used primarily to finance the asbestos removal at the College; apparently,
however, some of the proceeds were used to finance other construction projects
undertaken by the companies, not all of which concerned Providence.

Crossland, which had never done business with the companies or any of the
Renzis individually, sought and obtained detailed information concerning their
net worth prior to committing to the initial loan. Bernard Renzi, the President
of the construction companies, and members of his family, executed written
guaranties for the corporate loan obligations.

The Guaranty at Issue. In connection with the first of the series of loans,

The Guaranty at Issue. In connection with the first of the series of loans,
Crossland evidently demanded that the borrowers furnish a written loan
guaranty from the College. At the June 10, 1987 closing on the first loan,
Crossland handed to Bernard Renzi an original and execution copies of a form
on which Providence's name was typed as "Guarantor." The terms of the
guaranty were that Providence would guarantee all obligations of the Renzi
companies "whether now existing or hereafter incurred" up to $621,000.

Soon thereafter, Renzi brought the forms to Joseph Byron, who at the time was
the Vice President for Business Affairs at Providence. (Byron and Renzi had
been close friends for about nine years.) Though Byron has no specific
recollection, it is undisputed that he executed the forms, that they were
notarized by an individual working in the Registrar's office at the College, and
that Byron gave the forms back to Renzi, who delivered them to Crossland on
or after June 16, 1987. Byron's title did not appear on the forms, and he did not
add it. The parties agree that there is no evidence in the record that anyone at
Crossland was aware of Byron's identity or title at the time that the forms were
received by the bank in June 1987.

Appearances of Authority. Because the claim of apparent authority in this case


depends upon the conduct of the College vis-a-vis the bank, we recount the
communications between those parties in detail. We also pause to highlight that
the district court's judgment enforces the guaranty only as to the outstanding
balance on the fourth through seventh of the loans made by Crossland. The first
three loans were repaid in full by the borrower companies or the Renzis, but
Crossland has suffered enough losses on the subsequent loans to claim the full
guaranty amount.

10

Prior to the making of the first loan and the delivery of the guaranty form,
Crossland had no direct contact with Providence, oral or written. At the time of
the second loan (in early 1988), the bank loan officer in charge of the account,
Vice President Arnold Kastenbaum, asked his superior whether financial
information on Providence was necessary, and was told that it was not because
Providence was very strong financially.

11

On October 27, 1987, Byron wrote to the construction companies, advising that
completion of the work that was the subject of the first loan would be delayed
by a strike at the College. That letter, signed by Byron as Vice President for
Business Affairs, was faxed to Crossland on the day it was received, and was
placed in Crossland's loan file. The October 27 letter is the earliest evidence
that the bank had learned of Byron's title. A second letter from Byron, also
bearing his title and also found in Crossland's loan file, is dated December 31,

1987, and passes along advice from the College's Director of Physical Plant
that the work in the last two phases of construction was 75 percent complete.
12

The Cunningham Guaranties. In the period from January 1988 to June 1989,
Crossland received eleven letters from the Director of Physical Plant, James
Cunningham, reporting on the status of the asbestos abatement and the
completion of various phases of the work.

13

When the second of the loans was made in February 1988, Crossland sought
and received an additional guaranty signed by Cunningham (another close
friend of Bernard Renzi), also supposedly on behalf of Providence. This
guaranty provided that the College would be liable for all obligations of the
Renzi construction companies "whether now existing or hereafter incurred" up
to $440,000, the amount of the second loan. In conjunction with the third,
fourth, and fifth loans, Cunningham obliged Crossland by executing additional
guaranty forms, also covering both the current and future debts of the
companies. The guaranty executed by Cunningham in connection with the
fourth loan was in the amount of $1,459,500, and the guaranty in connection
with the fifth was unlimited in amount. Crossland apparently sought no
confirmation of Cunningham's authority to commit the College to this sizable
and open-ended liability (which would appear to cover Providence's full
endowment, and all its land and buildings), and relied instead on Cunningham's
title as Director of Physical Plant.

14

Procedural History. In 1991, Crossland commenced this action, seeking to


enforce as against Providence the guaranty that Cunningham had signed when
the bank made its second loan. Crossland soon ascertained through discovery
that Cunningham was not an officer of Providence. The bank then amended its
complaint to predicate the College's liability on the Byron guaranty signed in
connection with the first loan.

15

Providence moved for summary judgment on the grounds that Byron had
neither actual nor apparent authority to execute the loan guaranty on its behalf.
In a Report and Recommendation dated August 3, 1994, Magistrate Judge
Chrein concluded that Byron lacked actual authority to sign the guaranty, but
that there were remaining issues of fact as to whether Crossland could recover
on the basis of apparent authority. The district court approved the Report and
Recommendation and denied Providence's motion for summary judgment on
February 24, 1995.

16

The court then conducted a bench trial on the question of whether Crossland

reasonably relied on any act or failure to act on the part of Providence, so as to


create apparent authority that would bind Providence to the guaranty. At the
bench trial on February 5, 1996, the parties stipulated to many of the pertinent
facts and to the admissibility of a number of deposition transcripts, and each
side called a single witness. In a Memorandum and Order dated February 26,
1996, the district court determined that Crossland was entitled to recover on a
theory of apparent authority and ordered judgment for Crossland in the amount
of $621,000 plus interest. This appeal followed.DISCUSSION
17

We will set aside a district court's findings of fact following a bench trial only if
those findings are clearly erroneous. Fed.R.Civ.P. 52(a); United States v.
Coppola, 85 F.3d 1015, 1019 (2d Cir.1996). Under this standard, factual
findings by the district court will not be upset unless we are "left with the
definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed." United States
v. United States Gypsum Co., 333 U.S. 364, 395, 68 S.Ct. 525, 542, 92 L.Ed.
746 (1948). "However, the district court's application of those facts to draw
conclusions of law, including a finding of liability, is subject to de novo
review." Travellers Int'l A.G. v. Trans World Airlines, 41 F.3d 1570, 1575 (2d
Cir.1994). So called mixed questions of law and fact are also reviewed de novo.
Id.

18

The single question presented on this appeal is whether Crossland was entitled
to recover on the ground that Byron had apparent authority to sign the loan
guaranty on behalf of Providence. (The district court decided this case under
New York law, and neither party has questioned that ruling on appeal.) "[T]he
existence of 'apparent authority' depends upon a factual showing that the third
party relied upon the misrepresentations of the agent because of some
misleading conduct on the part of the principal--not the agent." Ford v. Unity
Hospital, 32 N.Y.2d 464, 473, 346 N.Y.S.2d 238, 299 N.E.2d 659 (1973). The
inquiry therefore centers on the "words or conduct of the principal
[Providence], communicated to a third party [Crossland], that give rise to the
appearance and belief that the agent [Byron] possesses authority to enter into a
transaction [the loan guaranty]." Hallock v. State, 64 N.Y.2d 224, 231, 485
N.Y.S.2d 510, 474 N.E.2d 1178 (1984). To recover on a theory of apparent
authority, Crossland must establish two facts: (1) Providence was responsible
for the appearance of authority in Byron to sign the guaranty and (2)
Crossland's reliance on the appearance of authority in Byron was reasonable.
See Herbert Constr. Co. v. Continental Ins. Co., 931 F.2d 989, 993-96 (2d
Cir.1991) (discussing New York cases).

19

A. Responsibility for Byron's Appearance of Authority.

20

The district court concluded that Providence vested Byron with the apparent
authority to sign the loan guaranties by giving Byron responsibilities (as Byron
testified) on a par with those of a chief financial officer in a commercial
corporation, and by giving Byron a title--Vice President for Business Affairs-commensurate with those responsibilities. We think that this conclusion is
adequately supported by the record.

21

Providence does not dispute that Byron's title could be understood as vesting
him with powers comparable to those of a corporate CFO. Rather, Providence
argues that Byron's title and responsibilities are beside the point, because
Crossland cannot demonstrate that it actually relied (reasonably or otherwise)
on Byron's title or role in making the loans. The guaranty itself does not reveal
Byron's title; and the record does not reflect that anyone at Crossland knew
what his title was at the time the guaranty was received and the first loan was
made.3 Although letters on Byron's letterhead were placed in Crossland's loan
file before the second and subsequent loans were made (i.e., the loans that
Providence is held to have guaranteed), it is stipulated that Crossland can
identify no one at the bank who specifically recalls having relied on the Byron
letters in the loan file when deciding whether to rely on the Byron guaranty in
making the loans.

22

However, the Crossland Vice President involved in the making of the second
through fifth loans testified that he inevitably would have reviewed the entire
credit file before authorizing the loans and therefore would have seen one or
both of the Byron letters reflecting his signature and title. This testimony by
Arnold Kastenbaum as to his general practice was sufficient to support the
district court's inference that Kastenbaum would have examined the Byron
letters before approving the second and subsequent loans on which he worked.
Therefore, we cannot say that the district court erred in concluding that
Crossland relied upon Byron's name and title in concluding that Byron was
authorized to execute the guaranty. The question remains, however, whether
such reliance was reasonable in light of the nature of the transaction at issue
and the circumstances surrounding that transaction.

23

B. The Duty of Inquiry and Reasonable Reliance.

24

The general rule in New York is that a third party "who deals with an agent
does so at his peril, and must make the necessary effort to discover the actual
scope of authority." Itel Containers Int'l Corp. v. Atlanttrafik Express Serv.
Ltd., 909 F.2d 698, 703 (2d Cir.1990) (quoting Ford v. Unity Hospital, 32
N.Y.2d at 472, 346 N.Y.S.2d 238, 299 N.E.2d 659). However, in the apparent

authority context, the duty of inquiry arises only when (1) the facts and
circumstances are such as to put the third party on inquiry, (2) the transaction is
extraordinary, or (3) the novelty of the transaction alerts the third party to a
danger of fraud. Herbert Constr. Co., 931 F.2d at 995-96 (citing cases). The
duty of inquiry into an agent's apparent authority "amounts to an alternative
way of asking whether the third party reasonably relied on the representations
of the agent that he possessed authority to bind the principal." Id. at 996.
25

The district court determined that Crossland's reliance on Byron's apparent


authority was reasonable and that Crossland's duty of inquiry was not triggered.
The court premised this conclusion on a number of findings. First, the loans
were guaranteed for an asbestos removal project, obviously an important
institutional goal for the College. Second, the guaranty benefitted Providence
by assuring that the work on this significant project would be done by the
contractor of Providence's choice. Third, Providence enjoys a reputation as a
"distinguished and respected educational institution," thought by Crossland to
be in sound financial condition. Finally, the district court relied on Providence's
expert witness, Robert Martinsen, who testified that a corporate CFO generally
has the authority to sign guaranties.

26

The record supports the district court's findings that Providence is a respected
institution, that the asbestos abatement project was important to it, and that the
underlying loan transaction was in the College's interest. On the other hand,
there is no record evidence that the Renzi companies were Providence's
"preferred" contractors--in the sense that Providence would put its credit behind
them rather than use other firms--and that Crossland would have known this.
The Renzi companies bid on the project, as they had on projects past; and they
submitted the lowest bid; there is no basis for assuming that they were selected
in lieu of other qualified firms for any other reason.

27

As to Martinsen's statement that corporate CFOs are ordinarily empowered to


sign guaranties, Martinsen's specific testimony was: "though one could assume
that being a chief financial officer he ... might have the power to sign, [y]ou
still don't know that without having a corporate resolution." The district court
did not credit that caveat--or Martinsen's opinion that it was unreasonable to
accept the Byron guaranties without further inquiry--because Martinsen's
expertise was derived mostly from his experience in the commercial banking
field, not savings banks. The record does not suggest, however, a material
distinction in experience between commercial banks and savings banks on this
question, and (as we discuss below) Kastenbaum's testimony indicates that such
guaranties would also be oddities in savings bank transactions.

28

Even if we accept all of the district court's findings, including the College's
preference among contractors, we still conclude that the guaranty transaction at
issue was novel and extraordinary, and therefore one that put the bank on
inquiry notice as to Byron's apparent authority.

29

The financial and institutional reputation of Providence College is comforting if


one is considering whether the College will honor its obligations, but that
reputation has little bearing on whether the College has undertaken the
obligation or on whether a particular transaction is novel or extraordinary. If a
transaction is novel or extraordinary for a particular institution, it raises the
eyebrow even if it is entered into for a vital purpose. Ultimately, the question is
whether the particular transaction falls within the range of transactions in which
Providence or similarly situated institutions normally engage. See General
Overseas Films, Ltd. v. Robin Int'l, Inc., 542 F.Supp. 684, 690 (S.D.N.Y.1982)
(Sofaer, J.), aff'd, 718 F.2d 1085 (2d Cir.1983).

30

Crossland bears the burden of establishing that the transaction was neither
extraordinary nor novel. See Herbert Constr. Co., 931 F.2d at 993-94, 996
(plaintiff must establish reasonable reliance, and duty of inquiry amounts to an
alternative way of asking whether reliance was reasonable). The record
evidence in this case establishes that the loan guaranty was an unusual one for a
non-profit educational institution, and therefore suspect for purposes of inquiry
notice. There is no record evidence that Providence had ever before guaranteed
the loans of companies doing work on its campus, or that non-profit educational
institutions regularly or even sometimes guarantee such loans. Crossland's
Arnold Kastenbaum--the individual in charge of approving a number of the
loans supposedly guaranteed by Providence--was asked how many times in his
experience he had come across a college guaranteeing the loan of a commercial
company; he answered, "I'd say--it is a rare circumstance, I have not seen that
circumstance." Similarly, Providence's expert witness, Robert Martinsen,
testified that in his 38 years in commercial banking, he could not recall a single
instance in which a college served as a loan guarantor. Thus, the undisputed
evidence presented by both parties indicates that the Providence guaranty of the
construction loans was an unusual and rare transaction for a college.

31

Crossland argues that there was a pre-existing relationship between the Renzi
companies and Providence, relying on Bernard Renzi's deposition testimony
that his companies had been doing business with Providence for over thirty
years. However, the issue presented is whether the transaction should have put
Crossland on inquiry notice. And as to that, there is no evidence that Crossland
knew of the prior relationship between Providence and the Renzi companies.

32

The terms of the loan guaranty signed by Byron also made it a novel and
extraordinary transaction. First, the guaranty was in respect of loans the
proceeds of which could be used for work done by the Renzi companies
anywhere. Second, the guaranty covered the future indebtedness of the Renzi
companies (up to $621,000) without restriction. Finally, Providence had no
ownership or equity interest in the companies for whose loans it was apparently
giving so broad a guaranty. In sum, the supposed undertaking by Providence
was an unrestricted and continuing guaranty to a third party having no corporate
relationship to the College. Such a guaranty by a non-profit educational
institution was (on this record) both extraordinary and novel. And among other
odd circumstances, the guaranty form itself did not bear Byron's title or the
corporate seal. Accordingly, Crossland's reliance on Byron's apparent authority
was not reasonable. The facts and circumstances surrounding the loan guaranty
were sufficient to put Crossland on notice and to trigger Crossland's duty to
inquire whether Byron actually possessed the authority to sign the guaranty.

33

We thus conclude that the district court clearly erred in finding that Crossland's
reliance was reasonable, and therefore erred in holding that Crossland was
entitled to recover on the ground that Byron possessed apparent authority.

CONCLUSION
34

For the reasons set forth herein, we reverse the judgment of the district court
and direct that judgment be entered dismissing Crossland's claims against
Providence College.

In January 1992, all of the assets and liabilities of Crossland Savings were
transferred to Crossland Federal Savings Bank. At the same time, the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation was appointed as conservator for Crossland
Federal. Subsequently, the FDIC resigned as conservator for Crossland Federal,
and Crossland Federal was later merged into Republic National Bank of New
York. We refer to plaintiff throughout as Crossland

The district court listed seven loans purportedly covered by the guaranty. On
appeal, Crossland contends there were eight loans, adding a loan dated March
7, 1989 in the amount of $450,000 for an asbestos removal project that appears
to be unrelated to Providence. Although this loan was mentioned in Crossland's
complaint, it was omitted from the district court's list of loans in its findings of
fact. The loan offering memorandum accompanying this loan does not mention
that Providence is a guarantor of the loan. It is therefore not at all clear that the
balance on this loan should be considered guaranteed by Providence. However,

because we determine below that Providence has no liability to Crossland, we


need not decide the issue
3

Although this fact is not dispositive--because Crossland seeks payment on


loans made after Crossland could have learned of Byron's title from the letters
in the loan file--it does speak to Crossland's generally lackadaisical manner in
verifying the validity of the guaranty. One might view in a similar light,
Crossland's acceptance, in conjunction with the second through fifth loans, of
additional Providence guaranties signed by James Cunningham, who was not
even an officer at the College

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